German submarine U-35 (1936)
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German submarine ''U-35'' was a Type VIIA U-boat of Nazi Germany's ''
Kriegsmarine The (, ) was the navy of Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official branches, along with the a ...
''. She was built three years before the start of World War II. The submarine was laid down on 2 March 1936 by Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft at Kiel, launched on 24 September 1936, and commissioned on 3 November that year under the command of '' Kapitänleutnant'' (''Kptlt.'')
Klaus Ewerth Klaus Ewerth (28 March 1907 – 20 December 1943) was a German U-boat commander in World War II. He reached the rank of ''Kapitän zur See'' with the ''Kriegsmarine'' during World War II. Career Klaus Ewerth joined the ''Reichsmarine'' in 1925. He ...
. The U-boat was featured on the cover of '' Life'' magazine on 16 October 1939, as in the days preceding, it "courteously" rescued all the sailors of a Greek ship that it was about to sink. ''U-35'' was scuttled just three months into World War II in November 1939. During her service, she conducted three patrols (last pre-war and two war) and sank four vessels for a total loss of 7,850 GRT while damaging one vessel of around 6,014 GRT.


Construction and design


Construction

''U-35'' was ordered by the ''Kriegsmarine'' on 25 March 1935 (technically in violation of the Treaty of Versailles, but consistent with the soon to be signed Anglo-German Naval Agreement). Her keel was laid down on 2 March 1936 by Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft in Kiel as yard number 558. She was launched on 24 September 1936 and commissioned on 3 November of that year under the command of ''Kptlt.''
Klaus Ewerth Klaus Ewerth (28 March 1907 – 20 December 1943) was a German U-boat commander in World War II. He reached the rank of ''Kapitän zur See'' with the ''Kriegsmarine'' during World War II. Career Klaus Ewerth joined the ''Reichsmarine'' in 1925. He ...
.


Design

Like all Type VIIA submarines, ''U-35'' displaced while surfaced and when submerged. She was in overall length and had a pressure hull. ''U-35''s propulsion consisted of two MAN 6-cylinder 4-stroke M6V 40/46 diesel engines that totaled . Her maximum
rpm Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensionl ...
was between 470 and 485. The submarine was also equipped with two Brown, Boveri & Cie GG UB 720/8 electric motors that totaled . Their maximum rpm was 322. These power plants gave ''U-35'' a total speed of while surfaced and when submerged. This resulted in a range of while traveling at on the surface and at when submerged. The U-boat's test depth was but she could go as deep as without having her hull crushed. ''U-35''s armament consisted of five torpedo tubes, (four located in the bow and one in the stern). She could carry up to 11 torpedoes or 22 TMA mines or 33 TMB mines. ''U-35'' was also equipped with a 8.8 cm SK C/35 naval gun and had 220 rounds stowed on board. Her anti-aircraft defenses consisted of one
anti-aircraft gun Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...
.


Service history


Pre-war

''U-35'' was known as the "bad luck boat" of the 2nd U-Boat Flotilla ("Saltzwedel") due to several accidents. She was rammed by a freighter in 1937, overrun and badly damaged by the pocket battleship in 1938, and was struck by an aircraft in 1939. She also had some success; ''U-35'' (together with ), was the first U-boat to patrol the Atlantic, sailing under the command of Hans-Rudolf Rösing to Ponta Delgada in the Azores. She then undertook several patrols to Spain, Ceuta,
Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...
and Morocco under the command of Hermann Michahelles and
Werner Lott Werner Lott (3 December 1907 – 2 May 1997) was a German U-boat commander in World War II. He was taken prisoner on 29 November 1939 after his boat was scuttled in the North Sea at position after having been depth-charged by , and . He was f ...
. After the death of Michahelles in a car accident,
Otto Kretschmer Otto Kretschmer (1 May 1912 – 5 August 1998) was a German naval officer and submariner in World War II and the Cold War. From September 1939 until his capture in March 1941 he sank 44 ships, including one warship, a total of 274,333 tons. For ...
was briefly given ''U-35'' as his first U-boat command. Before taking over as the temporary skipper, Kretschmer, while serving as the watch officer, was accidentally left on the deck while U-35 dived during maneuvers and nearly drowned. During another peacetime drill in 1938, her sister boat, ''U-30'', was involved in a near-fatal collision with ''U-35''.


Last pre-war patrol

''U-35''s last pre-war patrol began on 27 August 1939, and took her from Memel (in the Baltic) to Kiel, where she arrived on 1 September, the first day of the invasion of Poland.


First war patrol

The U-boat departed Wilhelmshaven on 9 September 1939. That day, the submarine fired the first British submarine torpedoes of the war when attacking ''U-35'' about north of the Dutch island of
Schiermonnikoog Schiermonnikoog (; fry, ) is an island, a municipality and national park in the Northern Netherlands. Schiermonnikoog is one of the West Frisian Islands, and is part of the province of Friesland. It is situated between the islands of Ameland a ...
. The U-boat escaped without damage and sailed northabout the British Isles to attack shipping. On 18 September she stopped a group of three fishing trawlers west-north-west of St.Kilda. She sank two with gunfire, the 326 GRT ''Arlita'' and the 295 GRT ''Lord Minto'' after confiscating their radios and fishing gear but allowing their crews to evacuate. A third trawler, ''Nancy Hague'', was allowed to proceed after taking on the crews of the other vessels. After 14:10 on 21 September, ''U-35'' fired three torpedoes at Convoy OA-7 south-west of the
Isles of Scilly The Isles of Scilly (; kw, Syllan, ', or ) is an archipelago off the southwestern tip of Cornwall, England. One of the islands, St Agnes, is the most southerly point in Britain, being over further south than the most southerly point of the ...
. She missed a destroyer and a
tanker Tanker may refer to: Transportation * Tanker, a tank crewman (US) * Tanker (ship), a ship designed to carry bulk liquids ** Chemical tanker, a type of tanker designed to transport chemicals in bulk ** Oil tanker, also known as a petroleum ta ...
, but damaged the 6,014 GRT British tanker ''Teakwood''. The damaged ship was taken to Falmouth in Cornwall, escorted by . The one sailor killed onboard ''Teakwood'' during this attack was the only person to have been killed during World War II in association with U-35. At 18:45 on 1 October 1939, 42 miles off Ushant, ''U-35'' stopped the unarmed neutral 2,239 GRT Belgian merchant ship ''Suzon'', which was carrying 2,400 tons of pit props from Bordeaux to Cardiff. After the crew abandoned ship after an inspection, she was torpedoed and sunk.


Diamantis

About 13:15 on 3 October 40 miles west of the Scilly Islands, ''U-35'' stopped the 4,990 GRT Greek freighter ''Diamantis'', which was taking 7,700 tons of manganese ore from
Pepel Pepel is a coastal town in the Port Loko District in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone. Port Pepel has a port in the Sierra Leone River used for shipping bulk iron ore via the mining company African Minerals. Railway Pepel is connec ...
, Sierra Leone, to Barrow-in-Furness. Like ''Suzon'', she was a neutral, but carrying a strategic cargo to Britain and therefore a "legitimate target". The crew, misunderstanding the U-boat's instructions, abandoned ship prematurely. After two G7a torpedoes exploded prematurely, the ship was sunk by a G7e torpedo. Because the ship's lifeboats were not suited for use in bad weather, Lott decided to take all crew members aboard. ''U-35''s commander
Werner Lott Werner Lott (3 December 1907 – 2 May 1997) was a German U-boat commander in World War II. He was taken prisoner on 29 November 1939 after his boat was scuttled in the North Sea at position after having been depth-charged by , and . He was f ...
later commented: The next day, 4 October, ''U-35'' was seen by people in
Ventry Ventry (), officially ''Ceann Trá'',Ventry/Ceann Trá
Placenames Database of Ireland. is a Gaeltacht village in County K ...
and Ballymore,
Co. Kerry County Kerry ( gle, Contae Chiarraí) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and forms part of the province of Munster. It is named after the Ciarraige who lived in part of the present county. The population of the co ...
easing into the bay. The U-boat launched a dinghy and brought ashore the 28 Greek sailors from ''Diamantis''.'Submarines in the bog holes': West Kerry's experience of World War II.The Kerryman, 1 October 1999, Historian T Ryle Dwyer
/ref> The U-boat returned to Wilhelmshaven on 12 October after 34 days at sea where Lott was reprimanded for his actions, which were regarded as having endangered his crew.


=Commemoration

= On Saturday, 17 October 2009, more than 200 people attended various celebratory events in Ventry to mark the rescue and landing of the Greek seamen. The occasion was organised by the newly formed Ventry Historical Society. The main ceremony was held on the green in front of Quinn's Pub, where an inscribed commemorative stone was erected. Guests included the German Ambassador Dr. Busso von Alvensleben and the Mayor of the Oinousses Islands in the Aegean, Evangelos Elias Angelakos, who unveiled the memorial stone. Other guests included descendants of Panagos Pateras, the captain and owner of the ill-fated ''Diamantis'', officers of Southern Command, members of the Irish Coast Guard, the crew of the
Valentia Valentia may refer to: Places *Valentia Island, off the coast of County Kerry, Ireland *Valentia (Roman Britain), a province of Roman Britain *Valence, Drôme, France, known in Roman times as Valentia *Nuragus, Sardinia, Italy, known in Roman time ...
lifeboat, and a troop of Sea Scouts from Tralee. The secretary of the historical society, Dr. Breandán Ó Ciobháin, delivered a welcoming address in Irish, English, Greek, and German, and invited the German ambassador to address the gathering: Mayor Angelakos said it was a great honor to attend the Ventry ceremony 70 years after the incident: "I would like to remind you of the magnanimous stance of Werner Lott, the commander of the U-35." The occurrence is one of only two such instances in World War II, where a German submarine crew risked its own safety to protect the crew of a vessel they torpedoed and sank.


Second war patrol

''U-35'' sailed from Wilhelmshaven on her second and final war patrol on 18 November 1939. On 29 November 1939 ''U-35'' was scuttled by its crew in the North Sea, in position , after a
depth charge A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon. It is intended to destroy a submarine by being dropped into the water nearby and detonating, subjecting the target to a powerful and destructive Shock factor, hydraulic shock. Most depth ...
attack from the British destroyers , , and . Lord Louis Mountbatten, commanding the British squadron, took the extraordinary step of stopping his ships for an extended period of time and sending out boats to rescue the crew of the German submarine adrift in water. Consequently, unusual among U-boats lost during the war, all 43 hands on board survived and were taken prisoner. Indeed, every member of the U-35 crew during its short World War 2 service survived the war.


Summary of raiding history


References


Bibliography

* * * * *


External links

* *
Maritime Institute of Ireland
{{DEFAULTSORT:U0035 1936 ships German Type VIIA submarines Military units and formations of Nazi Germany in the Spanish Civil War Ships built in Kiel U-boats commissioned in 1936 U-boats sunk by depth charges U-boats sunk by British warships U-boats sunk in 1939 World War II shipwrecks in the North Sea World War II submarines of Germany Maritime incidents in November 1939